Europe

We were in Lucerne (Luzern in German) for three nights, as part of our 24 day trip of Switzerland. Lucerne is located in central Switzerland, in its German speaking part and is a thriving and vibrant urban centre. Surely Lucerne has to be one of…

During our trip of Switzerland, we spent a day at the medieval town of Bellinzona (in the canton of Ticino, bordering Italy), visiting its triad of castles and the impressive group of fortifications. Bellinzona has, since the medieval times occupied a strategic location in…

The Rhine Falls is 450 feet wide and 75 feet tall and is the largest and considered by many as the most spectacular waterfalls in Europe. Located on the High Rhine, the best way to reach this place is from the historic town of Schaffhausen…

Run by the Rhaetian Railway from Chur (in the Graubunden Region in Switzerland) to Tirano (in Italy, bordering Switzerland), the Bernina Express traverses the historic Albula and Bernina Lines. One of the most spectacular and dramatic ways to cross the Alps, this single track meter…

We took the UNESCO World Heritage Bernina Express of the Rhaetian Railway from Chur to Tirano , traversing the Albula and Bernina lines. One of the most spectacular and dramatic ways to cross the Alps, this single track meter gauge railway was an incredible Alpine experience. Connecting…

During our trip of Switzerland, we stayed for one night at this remote location – an isolated surreal place where there is no other human presence, other than in the solitary wooden Aescher mountain guesthouse. At 5,000 feet, this mountain guesthouse is built precariously on…

One of the highlights of our holiday in Switzerland was a trip to Maienfeld, a place that had provided the picturesque setting for Johanna Spyri’s (1827-1901) celebrated and much loved children’s classic, Heidi. Published in 1880, translated into over 50 major languages of the world…

The tiny farming village of Gimmelwald is located at an altitude of 4,500 feet, in the heart of Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It sits on the top of a precipitous cliff – midway between Stechelberg, in the Lauterbrunnen valley floor and the village of Mürren,…

The Jungfrau region in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland is considered to be the most beautiful place in Switzerland. All the stereotypes and stock images about a mythical/magical land that one might hold in the imagination come alive in this place. You have it all…

Mürren is a small, traffic free alpine village, tucked in a remote spot in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It is situated in the Alps, high up on a sun bathed terrace, at an altitude of 5,413 feet and 2,000 feet above the floor of…

Unlike a river valley which is V-shaped, Lauterbrunnen valley, which was carved out by a glacier millions of years back, is U-shaped. The two sides of the valley are therefore almost vertical and very steep. Exit from this glacial valley is through a narrow gorge….

Situated on the southern side of the Swiss Alps in the far Eastern corner of Switzerland, the Lower Engadine is a stunningly beautiful region, far away from the busy tourist circuits. It is one of the few well kept secrets of Switzerland, if there are…